A Season of Wonder
A pastor told a story of the earliest days in his first church. He was determined to visit each family at their home as soon as possible, so he set out one morning to visit a few within walking distance of his office. It was all going very well until he came to one particular home. It was obvious someone was home. The lights were on, the car was in the driveway, and he could hear music from the stereo. But when he knocked at the door, no one responded. He knocked again, and still no one came. Finally, he gave up, and took out one of his business cards, and wrote on the back:
Revelations 3:20 reads: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him
and sup with him, and he with me.”
He
left the card stuck in the door, and went on his way.
On
the following Sunday, as he sat at his desk after the morning service, he was
going through the visitors cards, and he found his business card. Below the verse he had written he found
these words:
Genesis 3:10 reads:
“I heard thy voice in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked.”
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Last
week we read the story of a knock at the door of the home of a young girl named
Mary, and we discussed how that visit, and Mary’s acceptance of God’s plan for
her, changed her whole life.
Today,
we are going to read of two more knocks at the door. At each of these doors will be none other than God Himself, and
we will see two very different responses from two very different people.
1.
The
Knock at the Door of Elizabeth (Luke 1:39)
In Luke
1:39 (pg. 689) we find that Mary arose in those days. These were the days just after she had been visited by the angel
Gabriel. As Mary pondered his words, I’m
sure she kept thinking about his message that she was going to have a baby, and
wondering about how all this was going to work out. Doubtless she was a little worried about telling Joseph, and what
the neighbors were going to think. Then
there was the excitement of the baby Himself. The Messiah! She was to be
the one! The one to carry and bring
forth into this world the promised One that Isaiah had written about and Israel
had waited for for over 700 years!
Then
as she replayed the visit of the angel over in her mind, she remembered the
words he had spoken to her about her cousin, Elizabeth. The angel had said that she was going to
have a miracle baby too! And she was
already six months along. With all that
was going on in her life, Mary needed someone who would understand, someone who
would welcome her unconditionally, so she headed off to her cousin’s home in
Judah.
Now
remember, these were not days when you could call your cousin on the phone,
explain your situation, and hope for an invitation. Mary didn’t even have the ability to send a letter. She just set out for Judah, which is the
area of Israel where Jerusalem is found. It was at least a three-day trip. I’m sure she was relieved to get away from
Nazareth, knowing how people would be talking as it became obvious that she was
pregnant. I’m sure she was consumed
with thoughts of Joseph and how he was going to respond to her news. And she was probably a little nervous about
just showing up at her cousin’s door.
Walking all the way from Nazareth to Jerusalem was always a chore, but
all the more so when doing it alone.
Meanwhile,
Elizabeth was busy trying to keep her own life in order. For as long as she could remember she had
wanted to be a mom, to care for a child of her own, but she had not planned to
carry a baby in a body that was more prepared for retirement than parenthood. When
Zechariah had come home from the temple, literally speechless, and written her
a note that they were going to have a child – she had laughed! Her?!
A child? You’ve got to be kidding?!
And him?! Remember, these were way before the days of viagara! But here she was, six months later, putting up
with the backaches, the heat of Judea, and trying to get a house for two to
retire in ready for a baby. Sure it was
amazing, and at times as she pondered the words the angel had told her husband
about her little boy (the angel had said it was a boy, so it’s a boy!), she was
overwhelmed that she would be chosen to give birth to a prophet. That the boy who was now kicking her in the
ribs would be preparing the way for the Messiah. That meant the Messiah was coming soon! He might even already be born!
“Who could it be?” she wondered. She knew all the religious leaders in Jerusalem, some of them had
young boys. “Certainly he would be born
to one of the priestly families … I wonder which one…”
Finally
Mary arrived at the home of Zechariah and Elizabeth. As was common in those days, she stood at the door of the gate
and knocked, at the same time calling out a greeting, “Shaloam alcahim,” “Peace on your home”.
Verse
41 says,
And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting
of Mary that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the
Holy Spirit. Then she spoke out with a
loud voice and said, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of
your womb! But why is this granted to
me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my
ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
Blessed is she who believed for there will be a fulfillment of those
things which were told her from the Lord.”
As
soon as the voice of Mary reached the ears of Elizabeth, the Holy Spirit
answered the question that Elizabeth had been pondering. There was an immediate recognition of Mary
for who she was – Even John, yet unborn, recognized his just concieved cousin,
Jesus, and danced for joy in his mother’s womb!
All
the inconveniences of Elizabeth’s life just melted away in a moment of
recognition. Her busy schedule, her
discomfort, her doubts, her concerns – all of which could have caused her to
throw up her arms and cry out “Great!
This is all I need! A pregnant
teenager to nurse-maid while I’m trying to get my own house in order!” “You think you’ve got problems, sister, at
least your young! Try having your first
baby when your 60!”
But
Elizabeth’s burden’s just melted away as she opened the door of her home and her
heart to the Christ. In verse 56, we
read that Mary remained with her for about three months, then returned to her
own house. What a three months those
must have been! There are some parts of
the Bible where I wish the Lord would have given us a little more detail. Wouldn’t it be great to have some record of
the discussions these two “miracle moms” must have had? Can’t you just see Elizabeth giving Mary
words of wisdom as she faced a difficult future? Can’t you imagine the times of worship and prayer they must have
had? All the while, Zechariah sits
quietly in the corner, unable to praise the Lord with them because he had
doubted the message of God. What a
three months it must have been. What a
blessing it must have been to Elizabeth and Zechariah to have Mary there.
I
would like to think that Mary stayed around to witness the birth of John. But the chronology of the text tells me that
she probably left just before the delivery.
I think it was one of the first prices Mary had to pay for submitting to
God’s plan. Surely Elizabeth and
Zechariah wanted her to stay, but Mary recognized the scandle of an unwed and
pregnant girl would be, so she headed back to her own home. To face the last six months of her own
pregnancy, to face Joseph, and the neighbors.
To await the birth of her Son, God’s Son, the Messiah.
2. The Knock at the Door of the Inn Keeper
(Luke 2:7)
Six
months pass quickly when there is much to do.
Joseph had not believed Mary at first, but in his own angelic visit, he
had received confirmation from God that Mary was indeed carrying the Messiah,
and he had taken her for his wife. The
months flew by as Joseph worked long days in the carpentry shop, and she prepared
their small hut for a child.
And
now Mary found herself on the same road she had taken six months previous. The same road from Nazareth to Judea, this
time to the city of Bethlehem. In her
condition, Mary probably should have stayed home, but Joseph had made it clear
he could not leave her there. The local
women had made it clear they would not assist her. She would have to make the
journey with him, and they would have to trust God for His care and provision.
Bethlehem
was unusually busy. In fact, it had
never been so crowded. Caesar Augustus
had declared that people had to return to their ancestral birthplaces to
register for a tax, and so everyone who could trace their lineage to David was
now crowded into the city that was usually a sleepy little village on the way
to Jerusalem. As Joseph stood at the
door and knocked, calling out the same greeting “Shaloam alachim,” Mary
hoped he would receive as warm a greeting as she had received when she last made
this trip. But it was not to be. The inn had long been filled. In her condition the trip had taken longer
than expected, and there was not even a mat in the corner of the inn for them
to stay.
Luke
2:7 reads,
And she brought forth her first born son, and
wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no
room for them in the inn.
We
tend to be kind of hard on the innkeeper.
We look back with perfect hind-sight and shake our heads at his cold
heart. And yet, in the hustle and
bustle of trying to find housing, secure food, and keep the family together a
young woman great with child would have been the least of his concerns. From
the perspective of the innkeeper – who himself would have been over-burdened
with the responsibilities that accompanied a full inn – Joseph's and Mary's
predicament would have seemed trivial.
But
he did what he could. Chances are he
had turned more than these two away that night. But because of her pending delivery, he offered them a place that
would at least offer them some measure of protection – a cave where he kept his
few livestock. A few sheep, a thin cow,
but a roof (of sorts) over their head, soft (sort of) hay to lay upon. Maybe in a few days, when everyone had
completed this census, he would have a mat for them inside.
Finish
by reading chapter 1 of “God Came Near,” by Max Lucado.
And
so, why did the people of Bethlehem neglect this poor woman? Because they
simply were too busy. They were too preoccupied. They were too self absorbed.
And because of this they neglected to care about a young girl about to give
birth. And because they were self absorbed, they missed participating in one of
the most significant acts of redemptive history—next to Christ's
resurrection—Christ's birth. They missed beholding the start of a new era. They
missed Christmas!
This
week, as you go through the daily devotionals with your family from our advent
calendar, you will be asked to open your door to friends and strangers. You will be encouraged to invite people in
and enjoy times of fellowship and companionship like Mary and Elizabeth
did.
But
I want to ask you this morning to open a much more important door. Remember that story at the beginning? About the pastor who wrote on the back of
the card the words from Revelation 3:20, “Behold I stand at the door and knock,
If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and sup
with him, and he with Me…”
There
may be a knocking at your door this morning.
You may hear the voice of Jesus calling out to you. I believe that the Bible teaches that God
has appointed those who will respond to His call. But I also believe that it teaches that if you hear that call,
you must respond. You must open that
door. Will you be like Elizabeth, and
open you door wide, and welcome in Christ, or will you be like the Innkeeper, a
good man, no doubt, but just a little too caught up in himself and his own
little world to recognize God when He’s right outside the door?
This
Christmas Season, don’t just open your door to friends and family, or even to
strangers in need. Open your hearts
door to Jesus Christ. Invite Him into
your life as your personal best Friend, your loving Savior, sovereign Lord.
We have referred today twice to a verse in Revelation in which Christ tells us that He is at the door of our heart, knocking. Those words were actually written to a church. A church that had grown lukewarm. Jesus said a few verses earlier that “because you are lukewarm, and neither cold or hot, I will spew you out of my mouth.” Isn’t it amazing that Jesus wants us, even those of us who are lukewarm, to be drawn back to Him? He wants us to welcome Him back into our hearts, to sit with him and to fellowship with Him?
Today,
we are going to gather around the Lord’s table. We do this because He asked us to. He asked us to regularly gather together and share these two
items of food as a reminder of His sacrifice for us. As we gather together today, I want you to know that you do not
have to be a member, or even a regular attender of Gateway to join us around
this table. In fact, all you need to be
is one who has heard that knock, that voice at your hearts door, and opened the
door, then you can eat with him, and he with you.
If
you do not have that type of personal relationship with Christ, let me
encourage you to do one of two things.
First, you can open that door right now. Even as the bread and cup are being passed, you can invite Jesus
into your life, and participate with us.
Or, you can chose to wait. If
you are not sure, if you’re still searching for the answer to lifes eternal
questions, then I encourage you to wait until that time when you can come and
participate at this table as a child of God.
No one will take note or judge you if you simply pass the bread and cup
along. In fact, I believe it’s an
important thing for you to realize that you maybe aren’t ready. Because it will prompt you to keep
searching.
The
bread.
The
cup.
Prayer.